Warranty coverage question

[aquanta]

Yesterday I had my smart go through its 10k service and asked the dealership to check 2 other things:

- a soft squeak in the brake pedal
- a screechy passenger window

The diagnostic for the brake pedal was that the return spring for the pedal was rubbing on the under body of the vehicle causing a squeak. They lubricated the spring and brackets for the pedal assembly with a silicone paste. To be able to do this they raised the vehicle to remove the splash shields and the brake cover.

They charged 75.00 for this brake fix.

They also fixed the screech in the passenger's window (detail cleaned) and added a courtesy car wash at no cost.

Final result, the brake and the passenger window are now smooth and silent like day one, and the car rides better than ever.

The final bill was:

Labor 159.00
Parts 85.18

Now my peeve. The car is less than one year old, so I'm a little annoyed that the brake pedal thing was not included under the basic warranty. I wonder if the pedal spring issue will be a recurrent event as well. I don't think it is suposed to rub and squeak, right? If recurrent and allegedly not under warranty, I will have to pay any time I ask to have it "fixed".

BTW, I think the dealership is great (the staff members are always a pleasure to deal with) and no complaints besides this charge.

What do you think? Should the brake pedal thing be covered by the warranty or not?

[Old smart]

My call is that both problems should have been covered.

First time anyone has posted about a brake pedal spring, or a screechy window.

[a2jack]

Unless specifically stated in writing, the 24/24 warranty covers every thing but normal wear and tear.

Insist they rebate your payment, or at least issue a credit toward your next service. A2Jack

[aquanta]

That's what I thought. And mentioned it to the service person helping that day (not the usual one) but she said the warranty manager (or whoever deals with warranties) told her that this kind of thing was not covered.

Which I found strange because he said that even before the issue had been diagnosed by the tech.

Anyway, just wanted to check with you guys first. I will call them back on Monday and see if I can talk with the person that usually takes care of the service. At least see if I can get a plausible explanation of why it wasn't covered.

[Duckhunter]

I agree both should be covered, If they do not help go up the food chain till someone will.

[aquanta]

Originally Posted by Old smart

First time anyone has posted about a brake pedal spring, or a screechy window.

Ah, but there's a first time for everything...

However, these were not unusual issues for my other cars. The brake pedal in my Forester "sings" and has been lubricated before.

The window in other cars I had all ended up with screeching noises. In some cases the tracks were replaced, other times the entire engine that elevates the window had to be replaced. Apparently, more of an issue with 2 door cars as the glass is wider and heavier than 4 doors.

I just didn't expect it to happen in a car that is not even a year old.

[Brabus007]

Tell them you want to talk to the "ZONE GUY"... If they didn't give you a written estimate of repairs, and have you sign it, they broke the LAW... You were Side-Swiped by your Dealer...!!! If it happened to you out on the Street, you would have called the COPS and had them Arrested...<:-((

[SmartDigger]

Also remind them that you will be getting a survey in the mail ( or on line) about their service. I would not have payed them until I at least talked face to face with the warranty guy.

[Big Panda]

Unfortunately, it's been customary for manufacturers to have a specific time period for 'adjustments' to be made under warranty or at 'no charge'. In my experience, 'adjustments' have been a covered item during the first 12 months or 12K miles, whichever comes first, even though your basic warranty might be 3/36.

However, since the smarts basic warranty is only 2/24, their 'adjustment' period may be much shorter, say 6 months or 6K miles. Only speculating.

Sorry, I don't have my owners manual and warranty book handy, but maybe you should check and see if the manual specifically mentions the words 'adjustments'.

If you find nothing, then I would ask the Service Manager at your smart center to show you in your warranty coverage where 'such items are not covered'.

[saronian]

My first service was at 9 months (10K) and I had a brake pedal squeak and two door rattles fixed under warranty. I would have made a big fuss if they tried to charge for those items as wear.